Sea Cucumber Fisheries

A Review of Recent Developments in the World Sea Cucumber Fisheries Item Type article Authors Conand, Chantal; Bryne, Maria Download date 03/10/2021 20:18:46 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/1834/26483 A Review of Recent Developments in the World Sea Cucumber Fisheries CHANTAL CONAND and MARIA BYRNE Introduction nents in the food chain at various trophic Sea cucumbers are eaten either raw, levels and play an important role boiled, or pickled. In Japan and Korea The commercial exploitation of ma through grazing, predation, or biotur the body wall and viscera of sea cucum rine invertebrates has received increased bation (Birkeland, 1989). bers are eaten raw or pickled (Mottet, attention during recent years, and Echinoderm fisheries are generally 1976; Conand, 1986). The most impor progress has been made in the knowl small in scale. Sea urchins. are exploited tant sea cucumber product, however, is edge of stock dynamics and fisheries for the roe, and sea cucumbers are har the dried body wall which is marketed management, particularly for crusta vested for the body wall, longitudinal as beche-de-mer (Fig. 1), also called ceans and mollusks. Although inverte muscles, and viscera. World statistics trepang or hai-som, throughout the brates yield lower landing weights in from these fisheries have been reviewed tropical Indo-Pacific (Conand, 1989a). comparison with finfishes, their high for the years 1978-86 (Conand, 1989a; Processing methods for beche-de economic value compensates for this Conand and Sloan, 1989). The recent mer, believed to have been introduced difference, with invertebrates account growth of the North American red sea by Chinese traders, include six stages: ing for nearly 40% of the value of the urchin fishery has raised the question Boiling, slitting the dorsal side, second world fishery trade (Caddy, 1989). In of the feasibility of stock enhancement boiling, gutting, smoke drying, and sun vertebrates also play an important role to maintain the fishery (Tegner, 1989). drying (Conand, 1986). These proce in the structure and function of marine Holothurian fisheries are based on a dures vary according to the species pro communities. On coral reefs, for ex few deposit-feeding species belonging cessed. Processing considerably reduces ample, echinoderms are main compo- to two families and five genera: the length and weight of the sea cucum Actinopyga and Holothuria (Holo ber, and the final product weight is about Chantal Conand is with the Laboratoire de thuridae) and Parastichopus, Stichopus, 10% of the original weight (Conand, Biologie Marine, Universite de La Reunion, 97489 Saint-Denis Cedex, France, and Maria and Thelenota (Stichopodidae). The few 1979; Yuki and Viala, 1990). This factor Byrne is with the Department of Anatomy and species exploited amount to about a must be considered when comparing land Histology, The University of Sydney, N.S.W. 2006, Australia. dozen amongst the thousand existing. ings data with beche-de-mer production. Beche-de-mer is exported from the producer countries to a central market ABSTRACT-Sea cucumbers (Holothuri market. The expansion ofthe largely mono such as Hong Kong or Singapore, and dae and Stichopodidae) have been har specific temperate Nonh Pacific fisheries is vested commerciallyfor at least 1, 000 years. also described. Statistics from Hong Kong, then is re-exported to Chinese consum The worldfisheriesfor sea cucumbers, how Singapore, Taiwan, and the Food and Agri ers. These fisheries are ofeconomic sig ever, are not well documented and in gen culture Organization provide valuable in nificance, particularly in developing eral are poorly managed. Depending upon formation on the producer and importer countries. Beche-de-mer as an export the species exploited, there are two process countries. Panicular attention is paid to the product can fetch high prices (US$25/ ing procedures for the sea cucumber prod reciprocal trade of beche-de-mer between uct. Some species are eaten raw, while most Hong Kong and Singapore. An evaluation kg for first grade products). The beche commercial species are processed into a dry of the world sea cucumber landings and de-mer harvest is therefore an impor product called beche-de-mer or trepang. beche-de-mer production is presented. Re tant source of activity and income for This dry product is exported to a central cent developments include an expansion of fishermen from developing countries. market such as Hong Kong and then re-ex the Hong Kong market due to increased ported to the consumers. In this review, re demand by China, the imponance ofIndo Beche-de-mer fisheries have a long cent statistics on the world sea cucumber nesia as a major world producer, and an history, as the Chinese have sought sea fisheries, collected from different services, increase in the fisheries ofTropical Pacific cucumbers for a thousand years or more are detailed for each major fishing area. nations. This increase is best documented in India, Indonesia, and the Philippines Case studies for each fishing area are also for New Caledonia and Fiji. Ways to im (Conand, 1986, 1989a, 1990). During presented. Recent major changes in the Indo prove the access and the reliability of the Pacificfishery include the panicipation ofnew statistics for the sea cucumber fishery are the 18th and 19th centuries, traders producercountries, the shift in the species be discussed, as is the potential for manage gathered them in a wider area. A litho ing exploited, and an increase in the Chinese ment ofartisanal fisheries. graph from the d'Urville Expedition of 55(4), 1993 1 1839 (Fig. 2) shows a trader's shore vided according to geographical area Ocean and are subdivided into Western plant in the Northern Territory of Aus and the species harvested. Tropical fish and Eastern Pacific regions. The descrip tralia, complete with boiling and smok eries tend to be multispecific, whereas tion of each fishery is based on available ing equipment. Conand (1986, 1989a, temperate fisheries are monospecific. statistics and personal observations. 1990) also described the temporal and Tropical fisheries in the Pacific and In The world beche-de-mer market is spatial variability in the harvest of sea dian Oceans produce the dry product largely controlled by Chinese traders, cucumbers. These fisheries are still and are divided into four regions: Tropi and historical data from 1917 to 1986 poorly documented and, in many cases, cal South Pacific Islands, Western Cen were reviewed by Conand (1986, 1989a, may not be well managed. tral Pacific countries, Eastern Indian 1990). Recent statistics are presented In this review, recent trends in the Ocean, and Western Indian Ocean. Tem here for the two main market centers, world holothurian fisheries are analyzed perate fisheries for fresh or frozen prod Hong Kong and Singapore. These mar for 1986-90. Regional fisheries are di uct are limited to the North Pacific kets are also the major re-exporting cen ters. Taiwanese statistics are analyzed here for the first time. Evaluation of the sea cucumber landings and beche-de mer production is presented for 1986 90. This information is useful in docu menting the main characteristics of the sea cucumber fishery and prospects for its development and management. Collection of Fishery and Trade Statistics In most developing countries little official control is exercised on the artisanal sea cucumber fisheries. Con sequently, relevant information and sta tistics are not always available. The complexity of market routes, from the fisherman to the consumer, has been shown by several studies (Sachithan anthan, 1972; Conand, 1990). This makes it difficult to obtain statistics on the stages of the market, from the dif ferent sources outlined in Figure 3. In formation sources include stock assess Figure I.-Beche-de-mer samples from several tropical holothurians: ments and capture, processing, export, From right to left are H. nobilis, T ananas, H. nobilis (lower grade), H. seabra, and Aetinopyga sp. Photo by C. Conand. import, and international trade statistics. Figure 2. - An 1830's sea cucumber processing plant in Northern Australia (from a lithograph drawn by L. LeBreton in 1839) made on the d'Urville Expedition and courtesy of the State Library of the Northern Territory of Australia, Darwin). 2 Marine Fisheries Review Stock Assessments thurians are greatly reduced, resulting statistics is a source of complementary in the final product weighing about 10% information. Exploratory scientific surveys are of the original weight and measuring conducted by various countries. Scien 50% or less of the original length. This Tropical Fisheries tific divers give estimates ofabundance, difference has to be taken into account Tropical fisheries are traditionally in terms of densities or sometimes in when using statistics, due to inconsis based on several ho1othurians (Fig. 1). catch per unit effort (CPUE) (Conand, tencies between catches in fresh weight The species may be classified into three 1986). The data, however, are limited and the processed product. categories of commercial importance by the diversity of techniques used and Export Statistics based on: Abundance in shallow waters, species surveyed. One exception is evi size, thickness and quality of the body dent in the regular surveys conducted National statistics from customs wall, and main market demand and by the Washington State Department of agencies or fisheries departments are value. The species of highest commer

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